FAQs

FAQs for Director Tomisin Adepeju

1. How did you become involved in this project?
Vijay Varman, the writer and producer of the film, sent me the script in the hopes that I
could try and find a director that might be interested in making it. I remember reading it and immediately got caught up in its timely tale.

It explored several of the themes and issues I am interested in as a storyteller – I got in touch with him and said I would like to direct the project. He thankfully said yes!

2. What drew you to the script?
There were many elements of the script that compelled me to want to direct it. The first was the fact that it was a satire, a social commentary set in the near future. The script’s timely and powerful exploration of sexuality, race and gender really resonated with me as a filmmaker. Indeed, I found there were many similarities between the project and one of my favourite television shows, Black Mirror.

The second element was the simple question the script presented; “How far are you willing to go to give your child the best start in life” – I felt this question was incredibly layered, profound and would provoke discussion and debate amongst the audience.

3. Is there anything you wish you could have done differently?
I would have spent more time on the visual effects. I am incredibly proud of what our Visual Effects Artist has created, but I would have liked more time and money to work on it. The VFX is integral to the film, it’s visible in every single frame. So watching it now, there are definitely certain elements I would have done differently.

4. What do you hope audiences take from this film?
I hope audiences will reflect on the three questions the couple are asked and ultimately think about what their responses would be if they were asked the same questions. Would they make the choice that is morally and ethically right? Or would they conform to societal norms and conventions?

5. What’s next in your film-making career?
I am currently in post-production on a new short film titled OIL; a coming of-age drama about a boy dealing with his mother’s terminal illness. I am also working on a feature length adaptation of one of my previous shorts called The Good Son.

FAQs for Writer/Producer Vijay Varman

1. Where did the idea for The Right Choice come from?

Oh, I’m going to sound so evil! But the idea actually came from a time when I was travelling on the London Underground and saw… well, let’s just say it wasn’t a particularly cute baby!

At the time I found myself feeling sorry for the mother, stupidly thinking that she would have wished her baby was a little cuter. But then I wondered… Would she? Would she actually want to change her baby? How far would she want to go? And from there things just snowballed as I thought: “How far would a parent go to ensure their children’s lives were better?”

2. How did you and Tomisin (the director) decide to work together?

I was actively looking for a director and passed the script to Tomisin in the hope that he might be able to suggest someone. To my surprise he absolutely loved it! Even more surprising, he wanted to direct it himself!

While I wasn’t 100% convinced at first, Tomisin showed quite quickly that he understood the subtext of the script, especially in the character of The Adviser. He soon started suggesting specific actors that could bring the trio to life, and I soon realised that Tomisin’s skills, expertise and passion for the project was unrivalled. You might say he turned out to be the right choice!

3. What do you hope audiences take from this film?

My hope is that audiences take some time to reflect on the choices that the married couple make, and to think about whether they could do the same. Were those choices right? Then what does that truly say about the state of our society?

Or were those choices wrong? It’s easy to be moral on paper, but in real life? When it’s your children’s entire lives on the line? Would you truly want to put them at a disadvantage in exchange for holding the moral high-ground?

4. Is there anything you wish you could have done differently?

So many things! More time, more money, more everything! It wasn’t until working on this film that I finally understood that famous George Lucas line: “A movie is never finished, only abandoned.”

But if I had to pick one thing, I would have liked to have spent more time on visual effects. If you look carefully at the bottom left hand corner of the window, there are a couple of frames where the image is slightly out of alignment. 99.9% of audiences won’t notice it, but every time I see it I silently scream to myself!

5. What’s next in your screenwriting career?
I’m currently trying to raise funding for my next short. A sci-fi script called Message through the Stars. It’s about a young mother who, while traveling to a distant planet, must deal with the fallout this has on her only child, whom she left behind on Earth.

I’m also working on several feature scripts, plus I’m writing a book about the journalist Nellie Bly and her world-famous journey around the world.